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Turtlebot 2i: A redesigned mobile platform and a robotic arm attached to it

A large community and documentation that includes everything you need to develop intelligent robots have made Turtlebots one of the most popular platforms for education and research.

Turtlebot 2i is a new Turtlebot version released by Interbotix, the same company that designed the HR-OS humanoid robots and the PhantomX hexapod.

The platform is open-source and developed in partnership with the Open Source Robotics Foundation, the same robotics foundation that supports the development, distribution, and adoption of ROS (Robot Operating System).

Turtlebot 2i brings a fresh air to older versions. The new platform was designed with a robotic arm for research and development of applications that require object manipulation. Thus, using a single platform, the Turtlebot 2i users have autonomous navigation and object manipulation in an accessible format.

The robotic arm is a Pinscher MK3 with 5 degrees of freedom. The arm has attached to the end a gripper able to manipulate small objects.

Interesting is the new processor as well as the 3D camera used by 2i. Intel launched Joule 570x to compete with Raspberry Pi 3. Joule 570x has integrated WiFi and the specifications are well above of the Pi 3 specs.

The 3D camera is also from Intel and is a RealSense 3D camera.

Just like the other Turtlebot variants, there is a list of tutorials and demonstrations to make easier the use of the Turtlebot 2i platform.